FEET FOR LIFE

As you grow older, your feet will also grow then start to change shape, your skin may even get thinner, but they shouldn’t feelpainful. Keeping healthy feet for the rest of your life can be easy with a hands-on approach.

Many older people will claim that you will miss your knees when they give in. Granted, that is probably true, but I think I would miss my feet more.

Let us think about that for a minute. From the moment we can stand up, albeit hanging onto a nearby chair or willing leg, we are on our feet for the most part of our day.

We stuff them into shoes the first moment we get, and very few of us go bare feet as a rule. We run, we walk, we kick things and we climb others. We are constantly expecting our two feet to take us wherever we want. But, do we look after them as we do say, our face, our hands, or our hair?

Why not?

Because they are furthest away from our eyes than any other part of our body? Perhaps this is so but they really still need looking after.

While your feet will change drastically along all the phases of your life, they should never ache and pain. When they do, there is generally something seriously wrong.

There are some activities that can change your feet more drastically than others.

Another killer, especially to ballet dancers feet. All those twists and turns, in shoes that often feel like they weren’t meant for feet, well, it is no wonder, the shape of the foot changes so after years of dancing.

As you grow older, so too will your feet change. Here is what’s normal, but preventable.

The Cushioning has gone

That soft, padded under section of the ball of your foot will, over time, start to thin, and it is this thinning that can cause pain. Dependent on the shoes you have worn most of your life, the activities you have taken on, and how many hours you have stood over the years, you will soon feel the effects right there.

Your feet have changed shape

Not unusual if we think about the shape of shoes we have forced our feet into. Sometimes a broken or injured limb will make us walk slightly differently to how we normally walk. If this occurs for a long period of time, it can cause our feet to change shape so that they can adapt and accommodate. If your ligaments have collapsed, this will cause pain in the heel and arch of your foot. Again, shoes that are too small, or too high can cause long-term pain, not only in your feet but your back and legs too.

Arthritis has set in

Not unusual in older folk, but some under 40’s are starting to experience arthritis now too. The bones start to become brittle, and the result is the ache and debilitating pain of arthritis.

Your skin has changed

As you get older, your blood circulation decreases, meaning that less blood reaches those footsies, so far from the heart. The loss of that very necessary padding is one area that is affected, but also the onset of thinner and drier skin occurs. Those heels may crack up more easily as you age, and take longer to heal, even with loads of creams.

So, how can you ensure you keep your feet healthy?

When sitting, put your feet up on a footrest, and try to not cross your legs. This will improve your blood circulation in your feet

Wash your feet with soap and water daily, and apply our Foot Repair Cream, rubbing it in like a moisturiser

Ensure your feet are dry before slipping on socks and shoes

Visit the podiatrist regularly, to check on whether your feet are still healthy and well.